


The Best You Ever Had

by xaeria



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Time Travel, Web Series: Tales from the SMP, also this is pretty sad, apologies in advance, karl is cheating on sapnap with his ancestors lmaoooo, karlnap but make it angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:00:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29813634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xaeria/pseuds/xaeria
Summary: Sapnap discovers Karl's hidden library and finds out about his relationship with James from the masquerade episode.
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 35
Kudos: 126





	The Best You Ever Had

**Author's Note:**

> heyo! if you're reading this, i'm assuming you're here from tiktok (in which case FOLLOW ME @xaeriaa) and if not, then i hope you enjoy either way!  
> this is a fic that was inspired by @sunoficarus on tiktok! btw go check her out, her cosplays are AMAZING.  
> anyways, this is only like my second piece, so sorry if it's not that great lol

Karl walked down the path that spanned the grassy hills, making his way to the library that he kept hidden away in a mountain. He lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the rays of sun that spilled from over the horizon; it was not so early as to draw suspicion from others, but early enough so that no one else was awake. The library contained books detailing all his travels to other time periods, and he was afraid of what might happen if they were ever discovered. Droplets of morning dew were dispersed amongst the blades of grass, wetting his feet as he stepped off the wooden path. As he approached the door that led to his secret room, he felt that something was off. Sure enough, the spruce door was slightly ajar, and the metal bolt that kept it in place lay discarded in the sodden grass. Fear shot through Karl’s heart, piercing to his core. 

_No, no. It can’t be._

He pushed open the door, ignoring the tiny slivers of wood that caught on his hand and dug into his skin. When he entered the room, he expected to see the worst. However, he was greeted by a much more unsettling sight: nothing had changed. The room was eerily quiet. All the books sat neatly in the same spots that they had before, a light blanket of dust covering the shelves. Yet something felt off. Karl searched the room, looking for something, _anything_ that could tell him that someone had been here. But he found nothing. 

_I must’ve left it open when I left last night_ , Karl thought to himself. Yes, that must be it. He had been in a rush, and in a moment of weakness, had forgotten to lock the door. It happened to people all the time. Only… never to him. Karl was always so careful when it came to his library; locking the door, leaving late at night so no one would see him, covering the trapdoor that led to his secret room.

The trapdoor.

Filled with a new sense of fear, he whipped around and knelt down, pulling the carpet from the floor to reveal an old wooden hatch. Flinging it open, he clambered down the rickety ladder to the room that lay below. When he set foot on the stone floor, he looked up to see a familiar figure turned away from him, studying the bookshelf against the wall. 

“Sapnap,” Karl exhaled.

Sapnap turned around, his eyes meeting Karl’s with a sharp gaze. The dim candlelight illuminated the features on his face, but he looked… angry.

“Karl,” he replied. His words were stained with ire, and stung when they reached Karl’s ears.

“Why—what are you doing here?” Karl asked, praying that his voice wouldn’t betray him.

“I think the real question,” Sapnap said with unnerving calmness, “is what is _this_.” He procured a small leather book from behind his back, holding it up to the light for Karl to see the small green spiral on its cover

Karl’s eyes widened, and his heart plummeted to his stomach. His journal, the one thing he had worked so hard to keep safe from others, was now being waved in front of him by Sapnap’s hand, mocking him.

“That’s not—it’s mine. Please give it back,” Karl pleaded, hoping with all of his heart that Sapnap hadn’t read it.

Sapnap smirked, but this wasn’t his usual smile, filled with mirth and glee. There was a hint of bitterness, and in an instant Karl knew that his book wasn’t safe. It never had been.

“No, I don’t think I will,” Sapnap responded with a sneer. “Let’s see what this says, shall we?” He flipped through the pages, coming to a stop at a folded piece of parchment and pulling it from the book. Karl racked his brain, trying to remember what could possibly be written on it, but it didn’t occur to him until Sapnap started to read. 

“‘My dearest Karl,’” he announced, anger tinting his voice.

_No. No, no, no._

“Stop, please!” Karl cried, lunging to try and grab the letter away from him. Sapnap caught his wrist, forcing him away as he held the paper higher above his head.

“‘How long it has been since we have seen each other,’” he continued. “‘The weeks pass by in a blur, yet it somehow feels like centuries. I long for the day when I can once again see your beautiful face, when your eyes can bring light into my life as they did when we went dancing. Oh, how I miss that night. Promise that when we meet again, you will dance with me. Just the two of us. Nothing else in the world but the love that we have for each other. Always and forever, James.’” 

Sapnap turned back to look at Karl, his eyes flickering with something like rage. “Where should we start?”

Karl blinked, words dying in his throat. “Sapnap, I—”

“You what? Say it. I want to hear what you have to say about this.”

“It—it’s not what you think.”

“Oh, it isn’t? I’ll tell you what I think,” Sapnap spat. “I think that you’re hiding away your filthy little secrets in this room where you thought no one could find them. You thought that no one would ever find out that you’re a cheater, and that this—this _James_ could just be another secret that you kept to yourself. So go ahead and tell me that it’s not what I _fucking_ think it is.”

Karl’s eyes began to well up with tears that threatened to spill over his lashes as he attempted to speak. “Sapnap, please. I wouldn’t—I didn’t—”

Sapnap cut him off once again, face contorted with rage. “But you would. And you did. The proof is right here, goddammit!” He slammed the book against the table, and Karl winced. “How many times are you going to lie to me? Just say that you cheated—” he yelled, voice beginning to break, “—just tell me that you don’t care. That you don’t love me.” Sapnap’s eyes were brimming with tears, begging for an explanation. Something that could make it all okay again. But there was nothing, and they both knew that. 

Karl cried silently, bitter tears trailing down his face. “I—I’m sorry,” he whispered, unable to speak up. “I love you.” 

Sapnap looked up at him, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. “No you don’t," he said. “You’ve never loved anyone. Not me, not even him. I love you Karl, I do. But you’ll never understand that.”

With those words, Sapnap dropped the book and made his way back to the ladder, pressing something into Karl’s chest as he passed. Karl heard the trapdoor slam shut above him, and felt numb. He looked down into his hand to see what Sapnap had given him, and a familiar glint of black metal met his eye.

His ring. Sapnap had given him his ring. Karl had burned all ties with him, like Icarus he had longed for too much and fallen short. With nothing else left to do, he sunk to his knees and wept.

**Author's Note:**

> please let me know what you thought in the comments! constructive criticism, things you noticed, whatever you want is really helpful! <3


End file.
